Book Finder

In spite of looming war, librarian Alia Muhammed Baker was able to save the books from the library of Basra by moving them to safety. Simple forms and deep colors in a naïve style evoke the war without being explicit. The bravery and action of one person celebrates both everyday heroism and books as a unifying force.

History comes to life in this book’s cartoon-like illustrations and informative but informal text. This is not just any history, though. It is the history of plumbing, and “…the history of the bathroom in Europe and North America is a strange story of how people washed themselves often, sometimes, or not at all.”

An imagined journey on the Nile River in the time of Ramses II (around 1279-1213 BC) begins when 11-year-old Dedia and his father travel to a wedding in Piramesse. What they see along the way is minutely detailed and clearly labeled illustrations in an oversized format.

Celia Cruz began singing on the streets of Havana as a child. She grew up to become a legendary singer and lasting influence on salsa. Bright, bold illustrations echo the vibrancy of the music in this handsome picture book biography.

Meet the “stair and step” girls, Ella, Henny, Charlotte, Sarah, and Gertie who live with their parents on the Lower East Side of New York at the turn of the nineteenth century. Though the girls lived long ago, their fears as well as their triumphs are a celebration of everyday doings and remain as fresh today as when the girls were first introduced more than 50 years ago.

Trudy Ederle loved to swim and was determined to be the best. Through hard work and determination she became the first woman to swim the English Channel.

Archaeologists on a dig work very much like detectives at a crime scene. Every chipped rock, charred seed, or fossilized bone could be a clue to how people lived in the past. In this information-packed Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book, Kate Duke explains what scientists are looking for, how they find it, and what their finds reveal.

By sharing her own struggles as a child and later as a successful author, Helen Lester demonstrates that hurdles are part of the process. She uses her unique ability to laugh at her mistakes to create both a guide for young writers and an amusing personal story of the disappointments and triumphs of a writer’s life.

A remarkably rounded picture of Shakespeare’s life and the period in which he lived includes a thoughtful attempt to relate circumstances in his personal life to the content of his plays.

An easy to read biography of the woman who made the first American flag.

A pictorial biography about love, war, culture and ambition shown through the story of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt.

Charles Lindbergh was only 25 years old when he made his historic non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Through Burleigh’s vivid retelling and Wimmer’s bold paintings, the reader soars with Lindbergh as he follows his dream.

Bessie Coleman grew up picking cotton in Texas, but she aimed high — soaring into history as the first African American woman aviator. Her riveting story is told in inviting, rhythmic language and engaging illustration.

Lou Gehrig played 2130 consecutive games for the Yankees (a record that stood until Cal Ripkin many years later). His story as a baseball great is told simply and with humility, reflecting the man himself. As his health deteriorated, Gehrig gave his farewell to a filled Yankee Stadium, declaring he was indeed the “luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

This beautifully written book, illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honor recipient Jerry Pinkney, makes the story of Harriet Tubman’s childhood accessible to very young readers. As a young slave nicknamed Minty, Harriet Tubman was a feisty and stubborn girl with a dream of escape, and a rebellious spirit that often got her into trouble. Pinkney’s expressive illustrations bring every emotion to brilliant life – from troubled sorrow to spirited hope for freedom.

Sparkling new illustrations refresh this Thanksgiving classic based on the true experience of a member of Barbara Cohen’s family. The touching story tells how recent immigrant Molly leads her third-grade class to discover that it takes all kinds of pilgrims to make a Thanksgiving.

Written by the children in Oklahoma City, this book captures the fear, sadness, and confusion they experienced as they heard about the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building, and the strategies they used to begin the healing process.

A portrait of a true American sports hero, Jackie Robinson, who was the first African American to play on a major league baseball team.

In 1802, when Champollion was eleven years old, he vowed to be the first person to read Egypt’s ancient hieroglyphs. He faced great challenges over the next twenty years as he searched for the elusive key to the mysterious writing.

On the day of her birth, nothing about Angelica Longrider suggested that she would one day become the greatest woodswoman of Tennessee. It’s not long before Angelica is vanquishing varmints such as Thundering Tarnation, a huge bear with a taste for settlers’ winter rations, and swallowing entire lakes in a gulp.

Join the crew and find out how rockets, probes, telescopes, and space shuttles work! Illustrations and text introduces young readers to the amazing variety of spaceships past, present, and ready to blast off into the future.

Exploring its history, geography, climate, and culture, this unique book takes readers on the ultimate adventure of climbing Mount Everest.

A young boy’s flight to freedom is shown from the animal’s point of view in darkly hued, evocative illustrations. The animals reveal what the boy needs to know along the way – frogs point to fresh water, a mouse shows edible berries – until he emerges and is shown walking toward a safe house on the Underground Railroad. Text and illustration impart a taut, nocturnal journey.

The most celebrated black cowboy was Bill Pickett, a fearless rodeo star with a knack for taming bulls that brought the crowds to their feet. The closing note in this book provides an overview of the history of rodeos and black cowboys.